American Opinion: On replacing the director of the White House National Economic Council:

On replacing the director of the White House National Economic Council:

President Barack Obama took office with a promise to create jobs and has reiterated it intermittently, as the national unemployment rate has stayed persistently close to 10 percent.

Yet nearly two years in, Obama and other administration officials still blame the severity of the recession they inherited from their predecessors and recalcitrant Congressional Republicans for uninspiring job growth. Complicating matters is that economists in the president's inner circle too often speak the language of economists, not that of business executives or employees, a disconnect that continues to stall consumer and business confidence.

The pending departure of Lawrence Summers, who will step down as director of the White House National Economic Council at the end of this year, offers the president a chance to retool his message, if not his policies. Summers' replacement should be an experienced business executive with the political savvy to better communicate with businesses. Corporate executives want predictability in public policy. But on the heels of battles over health care, energy and financial reform, most firms are still struggling to figure out the impacts on their income statements. ...

So far, Obama has stayed in-house to replace other departing members of his economic inner circle. Jack Lew moved from the State Department to replace budget director Peter Orszag. Economist Austan Goolsbee took over for Christina Romer as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. With only Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner still standing from the original top-tier team, the White House desperately needs to add a business perspective and spokesman. ...